Even though most credit card fraud and identity theft takes place offline, many people are still concerned about using their cards online. At the same time, Internet card payments rose four-fold between 2002 and 2007. Even though card payments online have risks these can be avoided by using some very simple security measures. If these security measures are used then you reduce your vulnerability to Internet fraud substantially.
There are, however, three ways that you can make your Internet shopping even safer. The first is to ensure that whenever you enter your card details online you are doing so in a secured environment. Basically, the Internet has open access areas, that all people can see, and secured areas, that only one person can view. When you visit an online shop, be it a supermarket's web pages or a bookstore, it has secured and non-secured areas. The 'catalogue' will be open for all to read whereas the card detail areas will be protected. To tell if you are in a secured area make sure that the address changes from an 'http:/www.blardeeblar.com' to a 'https:/www.blardeeblar.com' site. If you look carefully you will notice an 's' after the 'http' meaning that it is secure. Alternatively a padlock or broken key icon will appear somewhere in the browser window.
The second thing that you should do is to avoid emails asking for your card details at all costs. There is a scam known as phishing, where criminals send legitimate looking emails asking you to visit a site and enter your card details. Both of the emails and websites can appear to be official, perhaps from a bank, but are in fact clever fakes. There are so many of these scams that giving details of every single one is impossible; some of these scams are also extremely clever and can be difficult to detect. The safest thing to do is never enter your card details at the request of someone else. No legitimate organisation is going to ask for your details in this way.
The third thing that you need to do is to make sure that your computer is adequately protected against viruses and unofficial access. There are two pieces of software that can help do this. The first is anti-virus software. Anti-virus software often comes with your computer or can be downloaded from the Internet itself. Some anti-virus software is free, others you need to pay for. As the name suggests this software protects against harmful software that can damage or destroy your PC, or even acquire your card details.
Finally, you should never enter your card details at the request of an email, no matter how official looking that email may be. The most common way for criminals to catch people out is through a scam known as phishing. Phishing lures unsuspecting credit card users into entering their details on a fake website. For example, one of these scams involved a fake email being sent from a major bank asking for customers to login to their accounts using their card details. Of course this was a confidence trick. While they may send emails advertising goods and services, no major organisation is going to send you an email asking for your card details.
If you follow these three simple precautions then there is no reason why you should become the victim of Internet card fraud. It is still more risky to use you card in a shop than it is to use it online. The fact that Internet card use rose four-fold between 2002 and 2007 demonstrates how popular Internet card use has become and, to an extent, is a testament to its safety.
There are, however, three ways that you can make your Internet shopping even safer. The first is to ensure that whenever you enter your card details online you are doing so in a secured environment. Basically, the Internet has open access areas, that all people can see, and secured areas, that only one person can view. When you visit an online shop, be it a supermarket's web pages or a bookstore, it has secured and non-secured areas. The 'catalogue' will be open for all to read whereas the card detail areas will be protected. To tell if you are in a secured area make sure that the address changes from an 'http:/www.blardeeblar.com' to a 'https:/www.blardeeblar.com' site. If you look carefully you will notice an 's' after the 'http' meaning that it is secure. Alternatively a padlock or broken key icon will appear somewhere in the browser window.
The second thing that you should do is to avoid emails asking for your card details at all costs. There is a scam known as phishing, where criminals send legitimate looking emails asking you to visit a site and enter your card details. Both of the emails and websites can appear to be official, perhaps from a bank, but are in fact clever fakes. There are so many of these scams that giving details of every single one is impossible; some of these scams are also extremely clever and can be difficult to detect. The safest thing to do is never enter your card details at the request of someone else. No legitimate organisation is going to ask for your details in this way.
The third thing that you need to do is to make sure that your computer is adequately protected against viruses and unofficial access. There are two pieces of software that can help do this. The first is anti-virus software. Anti-virus software often comes with your computer or can be downloaded from the Internet itself. Some anti-virus software is free, others you need to pay for. As the name suggests this software protects against harmful software that can damage or destroy your PC, or even acquire your card details.
Finally, you should never enter your card details at the request of an email, no matter how official looking that email may be. The most common way for criminals to catch people out is through a scam known as phishing. Phishing lures unsuspecting credit card users into entering their details on a fake website. For example, one of these scams involved a fake email being sent from a major bank asking for customers to login to their accounts using their card details. Of course this was a confidence trick. While they may send emails advertising goods and services, no major organisation is going to send you an email asking for your card details.
If you follow these three simple precautions then there is no reason why you should become the victim of Internet card fraud. It is still more risky to use you card in a shop than it is to use it online. The fact that Internet card use rose four-fold between 2002 and 2007 demonstrates how popular Internet card use has become and, to an extent, is a testament to its safety.
About the Author:
John Webb writes about finance and money related matters for a number of popular websites. Read about Credit cards online and Credit card offers here.
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